Right after stepping fully through the heavy, rusted metal doors of the factory, Leo reached into the inner pocket of his coat and pulled out a pair of red-tinted sunglasses.

He slid them onto his face, the frame locking resting perfectly on the bridge of his nose.

To anyone else, they looked like a stylish, albeit out-of-place, accessory. But to Leo, they were much more than that. After all, it was far from ordinary sunglasses.

They were a high-tech prototype he had quietly acquired from Alpha Labs just before his departure. As the biometric sensors read his vitals, a microscopic heads-up display booted up, casting a faint, augmented reality overlay across his vision.

The red tint wasn’t just for show; it highlighted thermal signatures, energy fluctuations, and concealed weaponry.

Taking a calm breath, he stepped across the threshold.

The moment he took the first turn at the end of the passage, the chaotic feel of the lawless zone vanished, replaced by pin-drop silence that made his ears ring.

Leo stopped in his tracks, his eyebrows raising slightly behind the red lenses.

The interior of the abandoned factory was quite deceptive.

There was no decaying machinery, no exposed wires, and no pools of toxic sludge that one would expect from a factory that looked like it had been closed for a long time.

Instead, he found himself standing in a climate-controlled lobby that rivaled the high-end corporate sectors of the inner-city.

The floors were polished to a mirror shine, reflecting the ambient lighting overhead. Sleek, minimalist furniture was arranged in waiting areas, and a faint smell of lavender in the air.

Down the extending hallways, he could see assigned offices with frosted glass doors, some adorned with holographic nameplates projecting elegant, undecipherable alien scripts.

Fortunately, the glasses also helped him translate the language so he could read the names perfectly, even if they were in an alien language.

"Greetings, sir," a melodious voice called out.

Leo turned to see a sharply dressed attendant approaching. The humanoid figure wore a tailored, dark navy suit. Its face was lifeless like an android covered in synthetic skin, its expression carrying a polite smile.

Unfortunately, the dead lifeless eyes of the Android made that smile look out of place.

"You must be the 14:00 appointment," the guide said, giving a slight, courteous bow. "We have been expecting you. If you would please follow me, your meeting room has been prepared."

"Lead the way," Leo replied casually, matching the android’s professional tone.

As he followed the guide down the corridors, his Alpha Labs glasses went to work. The red lenses analyzed the environment, feeding data directly to his internal interface.

Just as he had expected, he could see quite a few traps on the way. Even though this place looked beautiful, but it was brimming with danger.

He was certain that at a moment’s notice this place could be placed on a lockdown and all the hidden automatic weapons and traps were going to make it impossible for anyone to leave this place alive.

"Right this way, sir," the guide said, stopping before a set of heavy, soundproof double doors at the end of the hall. The android swiped a keycard, and the doors glided open.

Leo stepped inside.

The room was laid out exactly like a high-stakes corporate boardroom. A long, polished table dominated the center of the room, surrounded by ergonomic leather chairs.

In the center of the table, a holographic projector remained visible, currently displaying a rotating 3D map of the surrounding star systems.

Sitting at the far end of the table was a single figure, an older, distinguished-looking alien with silver scales and wearing a pristine, white three-piece suit.

He was casually swirling a red liquid in a crystal glass. Behind him stood two massive bodyguards, wearing earpieces and tailored suits that barely concealed the bulky muscles beneath.

"Ah, our guest has arrived," the scaled man said, his voice calm and welcoming, carrying a hint of a high-society accent. He gestured to the empty chair at the opposite end of the long table.

"Please, have a seat. I am Silas. I’m certain that we have a lot of business to discuss, and I find that proper negotiations require a comfortable environment."

Leo’s glasses immediately flagged the two bodyguards:

[High-density kinetic armor. Sub-thermal weaponry detected] 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Leo didn’t flinch. He walked over to the chair, pulling it back with a relaxed confidence, and sat down. He kept the red-tinted glasses on, knowing it unsettled negotiators when they couldn’t see a person’s eyes.

"It’s quite the setup you have here," Leo said, leaning back and crossing his arms. "I have to admit, I was expecting more rats and rust."

Silas chuckled, taking a slow sip from his glass.

"Appearances are everything in the lawless zone, my friend. Since it’s your first time here, I’m sure you would be quite surprised. Did you have a safe journey on the way to this place?"

"It wasn’t half bad." Leo didn’t elaborate any more than necessary.

Silas didn’t mind it either. However, he had certainly raised Leo’s profile in his eyes.

After all, people who didn’t speak much were often very hard to read.

Although he had heard from his people that this young man was a new arrival to this planet, an easy target, but he still wanted to see it with his own eyes.

If this young man was impressive, he might have a good time making a deal with him. Even though he would still extract lots of benefits, but at least Leo’s life wasn’t in danger.

They might work together, and he might also get some benefits.

But if Leo was ignorant, and a naive fool like he was told, then it was dangerous to deal with him.

After all, Silas had only one rule. Never deal with fools as they might drag you down with them, without even realising.

If Leo was actually a dangerous fool, a naive young master that didn’t have the least amount of common sense and self awareness, then he might as well rob Leo whole, and sell him in the slave market.

Leo didn’t know what the young man was thinking. After all, even Silas didn’t reveal much of his thoughts on his face.

"Now..." Silas leaned forward, his polite smile turning razor-sharp. "Let us talk about business..."